FLINT, MI — Less than a year after a sold-out crowd for her
first play, the Saginaw mother of a teen killed in a case of mistaken identity is
bringing a new production to Flint, and enlisting celebrity help for the job.

At 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, The Whiting will host "Cry Out,"
a new play by Saginaw author/playwright Tiffanny Goodman. The play stars Angie
Stone -- a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and actress in the lead role — and budding
Flint actors Whitney Frierson and Jason Warren.

Tickets for the concert range from $20 to $38, with
discounted prices available for groups, or $5 off for attendees who wear "Rest In
Peace" T-shirts to memorialize friends and family members who were victims of
gun violence.

Goodman's son Ste'Von Martel Goodman was shot in Saginaw on
March 12, 2009, days after celebrating his 18th birthday and enlisting in the
U.S. Navy, in a case of mistaken identity. He died days later.

Goodman said video footage of the shooting was caught on
security cameras, but that a lack of people willing to speak out has made
it difficult for police to make arrests.

Since her son's killing, Goodman has done all she can to
prevent the same from happening to others. She has spoken at events, joined
organizations like Parents of Murdered Children in Saginaw, and wrote a book
entitled "Speak Up, Speak Out: A Mother's Cry Against Violence."

"It brought me to tears. It showed me community support, and
allowed me to see, although I already know, that it's not just a Tiffanny Goodman
issue. It's a community issue," she said. "People want answers, they want change,
they want to feel safe, and they want the violence to stop."

"Cry Out," Goodman's new play, isn't directly based on her
son's death, but it has similar themes. It tells the story of Serena Walker
(Stone), a single mother who is raising her two children: the 17-year-old Troy
Ward (Warren) and 15-year-old Ramona Walker (Frierson). Ward is a high school
dropout, and Walker is dating a 22-year-old man.

Walker has trouble controlling the two on her own, and after
Ramona is killed, Troy turns to religion while still battling demons from his
past.

"'Cry Out' applies to any much anybody, but it's designed to
get parents to man their households," Goodman said. "The absent father, it shows
how he could be an important person in his kid's life. The mother being
responsible, as far as communication and supervision. When there's a lack of
communication and supervision in the home, you know what happens. No one is
supervising them, so they're out skipping school, selling drugs and toting
guns."

Goodman teamed with Flint's Carlton Towns, the owner of a
company called Elevation Movement that is involved in area food drives and mentoring.
Towns hosts a Cuts For Kids program for children twice a month — teens ages
13-18 every first Monday, and kids aged 5-12 every second Monday — at Major
League Barbershop, located at G3475 Beecher Road, at the intersection of
Beecher and Calkins.

The two met through mutual friends, and Towns felt a
connection with Goodman's book.

"I'm from Flint, so I've been through it," he said. "I
thought it would be great for the city. Not just our city, but Saginaw,
Detroit, we want to take this everywhere. ... I've never seen so many young
people lose their lives, especially females."

Towns gathered investors for the play, and Goodman held a
casting call at Berston Field House in Flint. She secured Angie Stone with a
connection through James Owen, a friend who plays guitar for Stone's
performances. Stone will star as an actress in the play, while also singing
three songs.

Stone's career includes three Grammy Award nominations: Best
R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "More Than A
Woman" with Joe in 2003, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for
"U-Haul" in 2004, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with
Vocals for "Baby" with Betty Wright. She has also won two Soul train
Lady of Soul Awards.

Stone explained that even
though her trust for Owen prompted her to hear Goodman out, the script sold her
on the project. As a mother of two, she could relate to the pain of the story.

"To even think of possibility about losing my child...I can't
even comprehend that. I draw from a space of, what if it were me?" she said. "...It's
not often that we have that outlet for someone in that situation, and I'm
hoping my involvement can help."

"The whole story is very intense. Everybody can relate to it,"
Stone continued. "So much of this is going on in our homes and our world, and
we think it's only us. (Goodman) put a very general story on stage, on a
platform that lets others know that you aren't alone."

Actors have rehearsed with Stone over the phone so far, and began in-person rehearsals with her on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Goodman and Towns are hoping for the play to attract enough
people to garner a second show in the area, and hope for more performances
around the state and elsewhere. More importantly, they hope it brings their
community together to help prevent violence, and to be great parents.

"There is not a happy ending, because in real life, there's no
happy ending," Goodman said.

"It's on us," Towns said, "as a community, and a city, to
come up with a happy ending."